Patching and Plastering - skim coat plaster walls?

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parkway
07-16-09, 09:34 AM
This might be a little redundant, sorry..
my 1916 bungalow had at least 10 layers of wallpaper..they are all gone now. I am planning on having the ceiling skinned with 1/4" sheetrock ( I haven't de-wallpapered those)
I am thinking of hiring someone to skimcoat the walls so that they paint up well. What should I ask the bidders? what materials should they be using?
what else should I consider?
thanks

coops28
07-16-09, 03:25 PM
You need to make sure the plaster is sound and not spongy. Are there a lot of cracks? I usually make all repairs first. Then I first coat with all purpose mud, then the rest of the coats with light weight.
parkway
07-16-09, 11:37 PM
thanks for your reply. I thought I needed to use something other then regular joint compound.... Or have the pro use something... This is one job that I know that I can do, but also know a pro can do better, neater, and cleaner in 1/4 of the time....

marksr
07-17-09, 05:37 AM
Joint compound can be applied over painted plaster or drywall. If the paint has a sheen - give it a quick sanding first. It's not a good idea to apply j/c too thick. Setting compounds [like durabond] can also be used but they don't sand well so it pays to apply it neatly/smooth.

If you hire it out - check references!
parkway
07-17-09, 03:07 PM
what about unpainted plaster walls? it appears that under all that wallpaper, the walls were never painted.
marksr
07-17-09, 04:27 PM
I don't know much about plaster but I wouldn't think there would be any problem with applying j/c over it. Are the walls clean? or dusty/chalky? One of our plaster pros will probably chime in later.